I'm not the typical woman. I hate shopping. I hate shopping for shoes, clothes and purses especially. I want to walk in and out of a clothing store in under twenty minutes, without trying anything on, and have found everything I need.

Today one of my dreams came true. I got up early to run several errands - all involving shopping. First I found a new laundry bag at Bed Bath & Beyond to separate our running clothes from the rest of the dirty clothes. I found a bag that is washable and was definitely intended for college students (it says "dirty" in large graphics on the side). It's now hanging in our closet from a hook, in perfect eye sight for Keith (not-so-subtle wife hint).

I randomly decided to go to the store next door since I was also in desperate need of a new purse and a few new pairs of dress shoes for a big work conference next week. I'd never actually been in a Marshall's before today. Like I said, I hate shopping, especially those stores that require you to dig through a lot of items to find a good deal. I wasn't clothes shopping fortunately, but was actually pleasantly surprised by their shoe selection. I actually found two comfortable, very attractive pairs that I'm hoping to break in by next week. I'll definitely be wearing the yellow pair on a regular basis.

Adorable shoe shot

I even found a new purse and a few other items at Marshall's too, so the next time I have to muster up the strength for shoe or accessory shopping, I'll definitely be visiting this store again.

I saved my favorite kind of shopping for last: furniture. I may hate shoes, clothes and purse shopping but my love for furniture could be far more dangerous. Fortunately, I am a thrifty shopper and tough negotiator, so Keith actually doesn't get too nervous when I'm on a new furniture mission. This weekend I was hoping to finally find a new side chair for my office. I've been searching Craigslist, Joss & Main, and One Kings Lane on a regular basis for the past few weeks to no avail. I also went to the Pottery Barn Outlet twice in the past few months but didn't find the right chair there either.

I've been looking for something in a fabric that would fit any room in our house, in case it is ever relocated, and have been going back and forth between tufted armchairs and modern armless styles. First I went to Uptown Modern but everything in the store was either out of my price range or a bit more retro than I was looking for. Next I went to my favorite back-up furniture store in town, Austin Furniture Depot. It's a consignment store and is often hit or miss, but over the past few years we've bought many items for our house here. Also, sometimes they're willing to negotiate if you're purchasing several items.

It's really important to walk around the entire store multiple times because there is so much to look at and sometimes it takes a little digging to find what you're looking for. And I found THE chair (!!!) - up on a shelf, higher on the wall, alongside several other side chairs. Of course I forgot to take a photo in the store and can't pick it up until early next week, so no photos today unfortunately.

I promise photos though once it's in my office and I find the perfect ottoman to pair with it. I'm trying to decide between a storage ottoman like this (in risane natural), a more modern ottoman like this (in turquoise), or a moroccan leather pouffe like this (love the yellow or turquoise with white stitching). I'll have to wait and see once the new chair is in that space and decide what works best. Also, cross your fingers I can convince Keith to help build my new desk on his one day off tomorrow. I'm so close to having a completed office space!